Shadow Games
by Machinari
Summary: There are two sides to every story.  Where there is shadow, there is light, and chaos at their clashing.   Dark Link x Link, multichapter, NOT PWP,   VERY in progress
1. The Temple Prison

_A/N: Hey, and welcome to Shadow Games, a new fanfic by yours truly. This is rated M for adult content, violence, sex, and all those lovely things that would have actually gone down had this not been made a rated-E game. Yes, there is yaoi. No, it is not mindless boinking. With any luck, this story will make you laugh, cry, and think of the games in another light. It may also become quite long. This introductory chapter sets the tone of the whole story, but the story doesn't actually start until the next chapter. With that said, enjoy!  
_

_Before we start, here's something you should know. In my mind, Dark is a changeling-sort - he is a formless creature that mimics what he sees. That should help clear up a little confusion._

_Warnings for this chapter: Nondescript Violence  
_

Dark, as it were, was a more or less peaceful creature. For many years he kept quietly to himself, rising only when the beasts called to him. He had been that way for as long as he could remember, living on the land, as much as he could. But now, bound to this room...

There was only so much that his illusions could create in a dead place. There was no sunlight, and he could feel himself withering, the lush landscape he had built in his mind, in this room, slowly consumed by mist and stagnant water, the trees devoured until only the sickly husk remained. These were orders, and failure was met with pain, something Dark was never very good at containing. He didn't like pain, didn't like the responsibility, and more than anything, he didn't like this place when home was so close .'

If his keeper hadn't been so close, he would have ran, both he and the Lizafols that had been contained with him. Especially the Lizafols, the water in the temple soaking into their delicate scales and encouraging rot. They lived in the hot, dry places of the north, just as he lived in the grassy fields that surrounded the lake. For them, there was nothing but cold and misery, for Dark, there was nothing but starvation and emptiness.

He could see it in himself. He was becoming thinner every day, thinner in a manner quite unlike a human. No, he had begun to be able to see through his own body only last week, and now, he could scarcely see himself at all. There was no light here, nothing to cast a shadow, nothing for him to cling to. And no matter what the King of Evil had in his horribly twisted mind, it was going to kill him. Freedom was not an option, not unless the Hero of Time fell, one whose name was far too well known in those parts. He feared for the Lizafols, for sure, but he rested in the comfort that soon, they would be deep in the endless sleep.

He wasn't sure about himself. He was an elite, cast in the mold of whatever he pleased, a skill far greater than any beast that had wandered the lands. He could defeat any with a swipe, shatter bodies and bones like glass. It was nothing he had pride in, nothing he ever wanted to use. But for a taste of light again, for his home, he would kill. The King of Evil knew it as well, and used him for it.

_"Creen..."_

"Aspar?" Dark stood up quickly, rushing to the aid of the Lizafol that had all but fallen into his prison. He was a mess, the poorly-fitted, unnatural armor digging into his already-tormented skin and scales. They had gone soft already, the moisture far too much for a creature such as himself, and it wouldn't be long before they started sloughing off, leaving him exposed to the elements. He made a quiet, pitiful sound, blood at his lips. "Shh, Aspar, don't you worry. I'll have you taken care of...I know how to heal."

It was only a half-truth, but Aspar never learned the difference, beheaded by Dark's sword in a swift, mechanical movement. There was no healing that would save them from this fate, only extend it. Honestly, at this point, Dark wouldn't have turned down the business end of his blade himself. But killing himself was no use - once he got out, oh, he had plans. First he would gather his strength again, and ally the tribes...impossible, but a dream. He could understand it - this man, this so-called king, had no control over many of his men. The Keepers he created, the Moblins obeyed him, but the rest was strategic, simple planning that warred every beast against a common enemy. And to that enemy, every one of them fell. This was not war. This was execution.

A sound caught his attention, and he whirled to meet it, suddenly feeling hair whip his face, a mask of cloth restricting his breathing. There was a young man there, frozen in place by the door, eyes wide. Dark didn't move, the Lizafol's head still in one hand. The other man's footsteps echoed on the ground, never looking away, one after the other...the door shut.

Dark dragged the Lizafol's body into the corner of the room and left it.

Something was coming.


	2. Steel and Blood

_A/N: Here's chapter two! Or really chapter one, but whatever. Random question. Right now, I'm using chapters to cut up ideas, rather than stick to predetermined lengths, but due to the nature of it at the moment, these are all very short. Would you guys prefer if I kept making short, frequently-updated ones that involve a lot of clicking, or would you rather I put these out like chapters in a book, more size than ideas? But I won't be able to update as much with those. Well, drop that in a review or message to me. Also, don't forget to ask if you have questions or comments, I'd love to hear!_

_Warnings: Violence and some blood  
_

His heart was pounding, his lips parted as he rasped in a gasp of air. The room shook slightly, dust falling from the ceiling as the traps in the room above ground apart, forced into motion after so many years of cold, frozen apathy. The place was coming alive in a horrible way, a sluggish beast roused from its sleep, and the one who woke it was coming closer by the second. No trap could stop him, all great beasts fell before his blade.

And he was the next trap. The next beast. The next one to -

He cringed at the dying shriek of a creature far too close for his liking, shattering the silence for a moment before the mist swallowed even that sound. His fingers gripped the bark of the tree husk, his back pressed against it.

The door clicked, raised.

He couldn't move. A shiver ran through him, boiling adrenaline into his veins, sweat beading over his body, his newly-Hylian ears catching and thowing back every clatter of the awakened temple back to him in terrible caphony. His mind screamed at him to run, to bolt, escape and survive as this _hero_, this golden executioner, examined the other door, his heart pounding out of his chest.

His grip crumbled the bark under his fingers, and a chunk fell to the still pool.

The hero turned as the ripple lapped at his boots.

"There."

Blue eyes locked on his own, and there was a metallic rasp as the blade slithered from its sheath, the Hero's hand locked firmly around the handle.

_ I can't die yet._

A ragged warcry tore from his lips, and the clash of blades jarred his arms as his deathblow was blocked, a feral grin on his lips as they faced each other. The glow of a fairy bathed him in light, his body becoming sharper, more defined, giving him the strength he had so desperately needed. Desperate, that was exactly the word, the hopeless ferocity that made every man into a monster.

He was no exception, and neither was the Hero.

His blade made contact, the dark sword's twin clattering to the ground as his own sank into yielding flesh, the sharp tang of blood filling the air.

"First blood is _mine_," he hissed, feeling his own pounding through his veins, taking pleasure in the shock that ran across the Hero's face at his voice, raspy from disuse, stolen and warped. The shock didn't last long, and the Hero was up again, a hand clasping at the wound, a snarl on his lips as his lifeblood spilled into the water below. He was at the shadow's level now, a beast fighting for his survival, no longer the untouchable saint.

Now it was a battle of wolves, and that was just how he liked it.

Unfamiliar words filled the room, and an unholy fire billowed from the Hero, knocking the shadow back against the wall with a thud. He was only down a moment before their swords clashed again, over and over again in an endless beat until his arms began to tremble with fatigue.

They broke apart for a moment, and the shadow pressed himself against the dead tree again, both panting, sweat dripping in rivers from their brows, obsidian and ruby stains tainting the water and sand. The tip of the Hero's sword dragged the ground, but his eyes were still bright, unwavering will enduring even as his body threatened to fail

The shadow was fading as well, and both knew it. He raised his sword again, but had barely gotten it up before a heavy blow knocked the wind from him, throwing his body like a doll.

This time, he didn't get up

He knew nothing but the throbbing agony of his body, the burn of every deep cut the other's blade had carved into him. Footsteps approached, and he cringed, the sword somewhere too far away for him to defend himself.

_ I can't die I can't die I can't-_

It suddenly occured to him that he had no choice.

A boot prodded his side, and he made a quiet sound of pain, a twinge of adrenaline as he felt cold meal press into his back. But it didn't push past the false tunic, or into his skin. Rather, it lifted away, and he heard a thump as a pack was dropped, the sharp scent of medicines burning his nose as the Hero began tending to his wounds.

"I've never met a monster that talks."

It took him a moment to realize that the Hero had spoken to him, and he laughed, a weak, breathy sound.

"...Of course you have."

"Fine, then I've never met a monster that looks like a man."

"...I think you'll find..." He coughed, wheezing for a moment. "..that there is no greater monster than a man..." He smiled at the irony of it, but jerked as the coughing grew worse, black blood spilling from his lips. Beasts hadn't put him up to this, the so-called King had. Beasts were not the reason that so many tribes of creatures had been slain.

"Alright. I've never met a monster like you."

Dark smiled. _Now we see the root of the problem. _ He didn't answer. He didn't need to. And more than anything, he simply didn't have the strength.


	3. Dead Walls

_A/N: I apologize in advance for...uh...this. I lost this chapter three times - once it corrupted for the hell of it, once the hurricane knocked out the power and killed it, and once I saved over it, and I had to write it again...I'm afraid it's lost a lot of the initial magic. So it's extra long to compensate...what? Uhm. At least we're getting out of this temple. xD_

_I'll go through and clean this up later. Say, if I draw anything from this story, would anyone want it linked here? For giggles and things.  
_

_Well, I can't look at it anymore, so I'm going to go draw Clopin because I just watched the Hunchback of Notre Dame. If it wasn't Disney you would see a fanfic of that too - Clopin is my man. Even if he is, you know, chubby, and creepy, and old, and...know what? I'm gonna shut up now. xD I promise better for next time!_

_Warnings: None, really.  
_

The shadow coughed, his body jerking as bitter potion burned his throat, caught in a sudden struggle for escape.

"Calm down. I don't want to waste this potion."

Cool relief spread through him, melting away the pain, and his eyes slowly opened, the room easing into focus. His prison was definate now - four walls, the tile beneath him, far more unforgivng than the sand had been, a small pit in the center, filled with dark liquid from his fall, the key to the door. Strong hands that kept him still, blue clothing. Gold hair. Blue eyes. Red blood.

A smile tugged at the corners of the shadow's lips. He had failed, yes...but the Hero hadn't gotten away without his share of injury as well. He had bandaged himself well, but smaller cuts and bruises were all too obvious. He hadn't done his job...but someone else was sure to.

"Waste it on yourself."

"Link, hurry! We need to go!"

Go? That was...unexpected. Did he really think that he could handle Morpha after fighting him? The way he looked now, there was no way.

"My keeper will make short work of you like that." The shadow laughed dryly, giving him a hungry, wolfish grin. "If you want to kill yourself, no need to go all the way there. I can take care of that right here."

The Hero was unimpressed, his gaze falling on the shadow. He noticed that one eye was bruised and swollen shut, something that sent a sadistic chill of glee through him. He had marked the Hero like that, and by the way he was nursing himself, no one else had managed to do quite as much. His right arm hung loosely from the socket, dislocated from a hard blow, one that he hadn't even remembered giving.

"Behave yourself. You shouldn't care anyway...you were trying to kill me, weren't you? Why not let Morpha do it?" He smiled, and the shadow growled.

"Because..." He fell silent for a moment, the snarl still on his lips, snatching at the air. Why _did_ it matter, anyway? He had done his best...but he wasn't stupid enough to think that it would be good enough for Ganondorf. "You are _my_ kill. I don't care for others taking credit for what I have done." His hand moved for the sword, forcing himself upward, but he was knocked back by a surprisingly heavy boot. It knocked the wind from him, and he was still again.

"Don't start that again. I'm no trophy for you. I spared you because you aren't like the other monsters, no so you could keep doing this."

"Oh, but I _am_ like the others. Every bit. Just because I _look_ like a man doesn't mean I _am_ one."

"So you _are_ just another of his minions."

"_His?_" Dark's voice came out in a hiss, lurching to his feet, his anger overcoming his weariness, the words bursting with agony. "I will _never _be a slave to that...that _swine!_" He snatched up the sword, swinging in fury. The Hero backed away effortlessly, a gauntlet thudding across his face. He collapsed again, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Then prove it." The Hero resheathed his sword, kicking away the shadow's.

"...What?" His voice was a hiss, venom covering the word like deadly powder.

"Prove me wrong. You say you aren't his, but you act like it. Prove that you aren't."

The shadow was silent for a moment, backing off against the entrance door, grim disgust on his face.

"I don't need to prove _anything_ to you. Everything I'm doing is for _myself._"

"Then you're just like him." The Hero shook his head, putting his things back into his pack. "Navi. We're going." And quieter, not to be heard: "Watch my back."

The shadow was gone before he could say another word, slipping through the cracks of the unsealed room. He had heard enough.

The man was a sweet serpent, every word perfectly formed to pick at his frailties. Every word from his lips, bent to tear at him, a systematic, perfectly civil, pleasantly refined evisceration.

He rammed his sword into the wall, the shadow material shattering as he threw off the Hero's form like old snakeskin, stealing a shape from the engravings on the walls.

It was far too late for damage control. The pretty face did nothing to hide the reality, browning blood staining the once-immaculate turquoise tiles. There was nothing left, the great tower of the Temple breathless and empty, purged of the reluctant life that had been imprisoned in it. The water was high, giving him plenty of freedom, but completely undisturbed, a cold stillness.

He grasped a broken pauldron from one of the fallen, pulling it free of the dead thing's flesh, but leaving both in the water, one sinking, one floating, in slow tandem with the currents.

Quietly, he closed the creature's empty eyes, murmuring to himself in ancient words before he climbed back atop the platform, his gaze dark. Imagining reasons to fuel his hatred was something, but this...this was another.

He sat on the edge, watching listlessly as his reflection melted into the shape of another's. It sickened him at first, but he shook it away. He was not the Hero, he was the shadow, an opposite. Hero's bane.

"I thought you were gone?"

The voice sent a chill up his spine, a trace of the fear he had felt before still clinging. to his bones. He tried to shake it off with limited success, glowering.

"I thought you were dead. Got my hopes up, too." His voice was bitter, but he didn't rise to fight this time. "Morpha...you killed it."

"I told you I would."

"I see."

There was silence, the quiet lapping of water at the stone.

"That means you can go back to wherever you came from, right?"

"...No. My home...Hyrule...does not exist anymore." His words were quiet, wracked with droplets of agony. "This is a wasteland." _A wasteland you created._

"I know."

The hero sat beside his shadow, casting a glance at him, one that the shadow ignored. Kinship, he had no time for, no matter what the other thought.

"Fix it, then, _Hero._" he hissed, the sound echoing around the room.

"Link."

"What?"

"My name. Just call me Link. I don't know if I can fix this...but I'm trying. You hate him, don't you? Gano-" He was cut off by an angry growl from his shadow, a lurch of darkness thrumming from within the creature's body. "...I guess so. That's where I'm going, too. If you can keep yourself from killing me until then, I'll take you to him."

The shadow paused, his whirling thoughts slowing to a halt. He turned to look at him with ruby eyes, a smile creeping over his face.

"After that, I _will_ have your blood." His tongue flicked out to wet his lips, as if imagining what it would be like. It would be a moment he treasured, he knew, but for the King's blood, he could restrain himself. "All of it, this time."

"You'll be welcome to it."

"Then I suppose we have a deal."


	4. A Moment of Peace

_A/N: Hi again! Write me some reviews, it makes me write faster. x3 ANYWAY. Here's another pile of stuffs for you! Enjoy!_

_No warnings this time. And if something's confusing (particularly with Dark and Sheik), don't worry, it'll be explained. Meanwhile, if you're seriously confused, hit me up with a review or a PM and I'll get back to you pronto. Likewise with criticism - if you don't like it/if there's something you don't like, tell me why so I can fix it in the future. :3  
_

He hadn't felt the sun in so long, and it burned him as his head finally broke the surface of the lake. He laughed, the sunlight darkening his skin and body instantly, his form sharp in the strong light. This was what he had been needing, had been waiting for at the brink of fading away for. Life again. To feel _real_. Oily smoke rolled from his body in dark clouds, a wide smile on his face.

"You're burning!" The Hero - no, _Link_ - sounded alarmed, but the shadow only smiled, letting himself float on the water. "It's hurting you, what are you doing?"

The shadow opened one eye lazily, a breathy sigh, a hint of a smile.

"Life is pain, Link. This is life. Do _not_ take this away from me." The eye closed again, and he made a quiet sound of contentment, the dark shadows that had polluted the temple burning away under the heat of the sun. It was a purification, leaving the creature as he had been before Ganondorf had enslaved him.

He didn't know how long he stayed there, perhaps dozing in the gentle waves by the tiny island, didn't even notice as another young man's form rippled over him.

"Do you think he's safe?"

"For himself, or for me?" Link gave Sheik a look, indicating his black eye. "He's going to kill me after, he said. But I can't do all this myself. This temple nearly killed me."

"Because it was there," the Sheikah said, his fingers inching towards the long needles at his hip. "You _and_ Hyrule are better off if you finish it now. It only looks like us - he isn't. Don't be foolish."

"I can't. He-"

"_It_," Sheik corrected, and Link waved a hand at him in dismissal.

"_He_ promised he would wait until Ganondorf fell. He's an ally at least until then. Afterward, I'll finish him. He wants to anyway...I'm second on his list."

"And what if you can't?" Sheik's voice was piercing, and for a moment, almost _feminine._ Link shook it off, his weariness surely catching up to him.

"Then at least it will be a fair fight. I won't go back on my word while he's defenseless."

"It isn't human. It will _never _be defenseless! Look at it! How could you trust something like _that?_ "

Link paused, looking down at the creature that had taken on Sheik's own visage, but colorless, blood-red eyes hidden beneath dark lids. He didn't look dangerous, not like that, perhaps just another traveler, one of the endless number who had stopped at the little island for some much-needed respite from the hardships of the road.

"He looks like you...and I know more about him than I do you." Link gave the young man a long look, and Sheik stepped back, his eyes filled with frustration.

"...Fine. You'll regret it."

"Perhaps." Link turned to look at him, but he was gone. He breathed a deep sigh as Epona trotted up, the stiff bristles of her muzzle as she nibbled at his cheeks enough to make him smile again. "Hey, girl...you've been doing a good job, waiting here for me." He patted her on her head, digging in the saddlebags for food, setting it down on the grass. He didn't mind waiting for the shadow to wake up - he deserved a rest too, after all the hell he had gone through. He let his eyes close for a moment, just blocking out the sun...

Link jerked awake, the smell of smoke filling his nose. He whipped his sword from his sheath without thinking, receiving nothing but an amused snort in response.

"...Good job, Hero. Don't you look before you do that? What if you were pulling a sword and your Princess was standing beside you?"

The shadow had apparently been awake for some time , a pleasantly fat fish roasing over a fire. The sky had grown dark, leaving him wispy and insubstantial, but the ghoulish grin was still far too visible. He poked at it, peeling back the fire-crisped skin before making a clicking noise in the back of his throat, putting it back in.

"I wouldn't have her standing here. I would know."

"Sure, sure. You eat? Or are you one of those stuffy vegetarians?" He pulled it out again, plucking the meat from the bone deftly, stuffing it into some oddly-shaped tubers that Link had never seen before.

"I can't afford to be picky when I'm traveling," he answered, taking a seat. The shadow nodded, passing one to him. It was warm in his hand, smelling of exotic spices he couldn't place, and he tried to hold it up to the light for signs of treachery. No matter what he had said to Sheik, he didn't trust him.

"Try this, then. I'd kill for some red meat...but this should be okay. But don't get between me and the next tasty-looking creature we see. And don't look at it like that...it isn't poisoned, but if you're rude about it, the next one will be." The shadow folded his arms, picking at it. "Man, what I'd do for a moblin. Or even keese. Or a cow..." He grumbled to himself, swearing loudly as Epona reached for his food, suddenly face-to-face with a pair of horse lips. "Or that goddamn horse!" It was more out of surprise than anger, and Link smiled, pulling a rather dried-out carrot from his bag to draw her away from him.

"Hey, she's hungry too. I've been down there for almost a week. I'll have to get her something next time I go into Kakariko." He smiled, patting her head, leaving her to graze once she lost interest.

"The Sheikah village, huh? Don't trust Sheikah. They're tricky little gypsies. Never seen more traitors from the same people." He shook his head, a particular youth in his mind, one he had seen standing over him. _Never thought he'd be one to compete with me..._

"What was that?" Link looked up from a map, and the shadow laughed.

"Man, you don't pay attention to anything, do you? Nothing. Nothing at all." He smiled, kicking back in the grass. The moon shone down, casting a pale glow on the still lake, calm for the first time in years. "I'll get back to trying to cut you in the morning. You got lucky 'cause this is my first day out of the temple."

"I expect no less. Hey. You never gave me your name."

"Why would I? It's mine," he mumbled. "You can call me Dark. S'all I need to be to you."


	5. Reunion

_A/N: Oh god, so many spelling errors I had to fix in this one. xD I wrote the whole damn thing during one of my classes. Oh dear._

_No warnings this time, except for Ganondorf's enormous nose. Seriously, I was replaying OoT and was left in shock. o_o_

_Thank you to Silver for reviewing, and thanks to all of you who fav/watch/etc!  
_

Dark was woken from a shallow sleep by the persistent stabs of sharp beaks. Groaning in irritation, he swiped at them with a hand, only to have that assaulted as well.

"Fine! Din's tits, get off of me." He sat up, a pair of Guays fluttering off him, staring blankly. He gave them a look, one they didn't return, beady eyes focused intently on...nothing. Nothing at all. _Just guays? Guess I'm not such a big deal these days._ "Guess you two were sent to bring me back?"

One of them scrabbled at the ground with a foot. The other warbled, and coughed up half a dead mouse.

"...Right. This is embarrassing..." He sighed, dragging his feet as much as possible. Of course he would be summoned back...that was just like Ganondorf. He always covered his tracks. To not go would raise suspicion, and that was the last thing he needed. With a growl of frustration, he let the shift take him, fluttering awkwardly into the air. _Right, first thing I'm doing if flying this beak into that stupid smug face of his..._

He didn't much care for flying, he mused. And he had told Ganondorf that once, so he always sent Keese of Guays or Stingers or other stupid air-riders, just to upset him.

_"Why don't you like flying? It's like your freedom, isn't it?"_

The pig made it sound like a curse. But after flying always came falling, that gnawing pit in his stomach, the realization that he was at the mercy of gravity and powerless beatings of stolen wings. Wings that could fail at any moment. No...he didn't like it in the air.

He landed - fell - on the carpet, the topheavy beak jarring him as it hit first, sending him rolling in a tangled pile of wings and legs. He hissed his frustration as a delicate bird bone snapped, the other two landing soundlessly, even for such ungainly creatures.

One prodded him. The other hacked horribly, and the other half of the mouse came up. It churred quietly, nudging it towards him.

"Isn't that cute..."

Dark didn't hesitate a moment, mirroring the young man in a split second. If it bothered Sheik, he didn't show it, reaching down to take the Guays in his hand before Dark could make his opinion on them all too clear. He didn't even give the shadow the courtesy of a greeting, walking soundlessly down the carpet.

"Sheik," Dark said, but Sheik barely looked at him, giving him a glance as he set the Guays on his shoulder.

"Yes?" He kept walking, and Dark rushed to fall into step beside him. "Do you have anything to say? Anything worth hearing, that is."

"Glad to see our relationship hasn't changed a bit. Helping the hero now, are you?"

"Not at all. My job is to guide him to the temples until he dies. I, unlike _you_, am doing my job quite well. My turn. Enjoying conspiring against our master?"

"Don't call him master. And yes, as always. Don't pretend it hasn't crossed your mind."

"Oh, Dark, many things cross my mind every moment. That doesn't mean I welcome them all." Sheik shook his head, and Dark could have sworn that he saw a smile beneath that mask. "He's going to kill you when he finds out."

"_If_ he finds out. Which I don't plan on letting happen...unless a little someone happens to snitch on me. But that won't happen, now, will it?" He grinned, clapping a hand on Sheik's shoulder, startling the Guays from their perch. "After all, _Sheikah_, I know you better than anyone, and I'm not the only one hiding something."

The young man's racing heartbeat was music to him, the barely-noticeable shiver betraying the young man where he stood.

_Gotcha, you little rat._

But he recovered quickly, and the shadow's breath flew out in a rush as a leather-covered foot crashed into his chest, his vision blinking for a moment as the back of his head slammed against the stone floor, missing the carpet by inches.

"You don't know a damn thing, Dark. And if Ganondorf didn't want to see you, I would take care of you right now." His voice was a barely-human hiss, something he had only had the pleasure of drawing from the Sheikah once before. "You miserable failure of a changeling, you don't know anything but what you can see."

"And I could say so much about you too, my dear P-"

"Settle down, kids..."

Dark cut off his words mid-sentence, hastily dragging himself from under the Sheikah, standing at attention. Ganondorf knew thhey fought, enjoyed it, even, but that didn't mean that it would be a good idea to do so right in front ot him.

"Your highness," Sheik said, dropping to a knee, head bowed in tribute.

"Kissass," Dark snorted, and did no such thing. If it bothered Ganondorf, the man didn't show it, folding his arms.

Dark had always likened the Gerudo King to very large, very smug bulldog. His whole frame always seemed a bit squashed, as if he should have been a foot taller, and the only option left was to secure his head directly to his shoulders, and to build him entirely out of limbs.

"Charming as always, Dark. Come here, boy. We have something to talk about."

Dark stiffened. So he _did _know. He moved soundlessly towards him, arms folded, wishing it was the Hero who stood next to him instead of Sheik so he would at least have a shot at putting a sword through him.

"What." It was all he could do to keep his voice from shaking, his hands curled into tight fists.

"You aren't afraid of me? That's brave. Or stupid. With you, it's probably not the first one, is it?" He laughed, and Dark didn't move, his teeth gritted tightly together. "That's fine...hard to be afraid of something you hate, isn't it? But...how much? You failed me...that should cost you your life. But I am a forgiving man..."

"Just shut up and get to the point," Dark hissed, half expecting the King to strike him for his insolence. But he didn't, laughing darkly. It always meant trouble. He always laughed like that before he really hurt someone, and it made the hairs on the back of Dark's neck stand up, a chill running through him. He had heard it one too many times.

"Of course. I forgot that you have no appreciation for words."

"Not empty ones."

"Be glad I like you, boy. As I said...I know you hate me. But how much? Enough to betray me? I have eyes everywhere...tell me, what did I see at the lake today? I could have sworn I heard something _quite interesting..._I suggest you explain yourself."

Dark's mouth went dry, adrenaline lancing through him. Ganondorf didn't care what he had to say...if he had heard, that was the end of it. It was a stupid cat and mouse game, just another one of his sadistic amusements. If he was going to -

"My lord, if I may." Sheik stood, and Dark whirled to face him, freezing his panic where he stood. "This is perhaps what we could call taking the initiative."

"I'm listening."

Sheik nodded, putting his hand on the Shadow's shoulder.

"I do not have the strength to kill the Hero once he has received all the Medallions...he would be at his fullest strength before he faced you. With the Medallions, he would pose a considerable threat. Dark, however, will be his equal, and will be able to kill or at least weaken him before that time, my lord. We thought that perhaps you would be pleased with this idea."

"What he said," Dark said quickly, shrugging. _What the hell is he talking about?_

"You two? Together? I can't keep you two from each other's throats most days." He paused for a minute, then burst out into laughter again, but this time...no, it wasn't murderous. They were safe...for now. "Make it work, then. I'm impressed...and I never thought I'd say that to you. Shadow, get back there or he'll be suspicious." Ganondorf waved them away, shaking his head, and disappeared into the bowels of his castle.

"You can stop holding your breath now."

Sheik's voice startled him out of his stupor, and he shook his head.

"What the hell was-"

"You owe me one. Another one. I am not going to cover your ass for next time, so don't walk in here unprepared again."

"Yeah, whatever." Dark shook his head, looking back up at the empty throne. _ I barely got out of that one alive._ "So doe sthat mean you're-"

The Sheikah was gone. Not far, he mused, since he hadn't reverted, but...well, that was Sheik for him.

The Guay croaked, and he sighed.

_Guess I'd better be getting back before sunup._


	6. A notice to everybody reading this!

An update!

Holy crap, guys, I am SO sorry. Life and schooling got the better of me, and when I deleted the email this account was connected to, somehow I completely forgot about this. ;A; If I ever do that again, shoot me an email at machinari at ymail, or machinarum at gmail. Seriously. xD

Consider this a placeholder for now, but I'm writing the next chapter as I write this. And omgthankyou for anyone who reads this, I promise not to drop off the face of the earth for another year!


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